County Governor Park Wooryang: "We Will Continue to Develop It into a World-Class Gourmet Festival"
Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) announced on the 30th that the Shinan World Gimbap Festa held at Jaeundo Museum Park for two days from the 27th to the 28th was successfully concluded with nearly 20,000 visitors, almost double the number from last year.
Now in its second year, the World Gimbap Festa featured a gimbap competition, cooking experiences, sales, and tasting programs. Held in a larger space than the previous year, this event showcased Korean agricultural products such as seaweed and rice, an Emart24 mobile store, a children's playground, a picnic zone, and various food and entertainment options.
On the 27th, a performance making Four Seasons Flower Blooming Garden Gimbap was held at the opening ceremony of the Sinan World Gimbap Festa. [Photo by Sinan-gun]
During the festival, many family groups visited, and visitors relaxed comfortably on the coastal lawn as if on a picnic, enjoying spring while sitting and eating gimbap.
The county, together with the Shinan Gimbap Research Association, presented six types of gimbap made with Shinan specialties for on-site sales, receiving favorable reviews. Salt gimbap, skate cutlet gimbap, and abalone seaweed gimbap were all praised for their delicious taste, with the vegan garden gimbap made only with vegetables and onion gimbap being especially popular. Prices were mainly set at 2,000 and 4,000 won, allowing visitors to enjoy various gimbap without burden.
On the first day of the event, 20 teams competed in the gimbap contest finals. The grand prize was awarded to Kim Hae-ji from Mokpo City for “Imjado Sparrow Rice Gimbap,” earning the prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award (with a prize of 2 million won). The gimbap featured stir-fried Imjado shrimp, crunchy textures from cucumber chili peppers and aged kimchi, and was recognized for its shape and completeness.
The Excellence Award, the Rural Development Administration Director’s Award, went to Kim Kyung-ok from Gwangju Metropolitan City for creating “Five-colored Five-flavor Diet Gimbap,” and the Emart24 Special Award was given to Hwang Yeon-jung from Yeosu City for “Shinan Popeye Seaweed Gimbap.” Other participating teams received awards such as the Outstanding Award and Encouragement Award.
Notably, Emart24 sponsored this festival and plans to sell the winning gimbap from the competition at over 6,600 stores nationwide in the second half of the year, enabling the entire nation to taste Shinan gimbap.
Major programs included a master chef food show, a Shinan agricultural products prize roulette, mini gimbap and Slow City experiences, and photo booths, providing great satisfaction to family tourists with children.
Simultaneously held at the Museum Park area were the 100+4 Piano Island Festival and the Borahae Dance Festival, creating a strong synergy effect. Accordingly, the county plans to hold all three events together again next year.
Governor Park Woo-ryang said, “The Shinan World Gimbap Festa is a festival full of food, fun, and sights, proving that our county is the number one place for gimbap in Korea,” and added, “We will continue to develop the Gimbap Festa into a world-class gourmet festival.”
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